Laura Kinney’s evolution from X-23 to Wolverine will continue in the X-Men: From the Ashes era. The young Wolverine is among the cast of NYX, where Laura stars alongside Ms. Marvel, Sophie Cuckoo, Prodigy, and Anole. Marvel fans also got to see Dafne Keen’s return as Logan’s cloned daughter X-23 in the record-breaking Deadpool & Wolverine. While Laura has experience working on an X-Men team, she’s also very comfortable operating from the shadows alone. As fans get accustomed to this new era of X-Men storytelling, Laura will forge a new path for herself while helping mutants in need in Laura Kinney: Wolverine. The title promises to send Wolverine to the darkest corners of the Marvel Universe, and series writer Erica Schultz is giving fans a sneak peek at what she has planned.
ComicBook spoke to Erica Schultz ahead of the debut of Laura Kinney: Wolverine in December. Schultz is no stranger to Laura Kinney, having penned last year’s X-23: Deadly Regenesis limited series that flashed back to Laura’s early days as X-23. We asked Schultz about Laura’s new mission statement, what villains fans can expect, exploring the different sides of the Wolverine, whose side Laura will choose in the X-Men crossover “Raid on Graymalkin,” and more.
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ComicBook can also exclusively reveal the first look at interior pages from Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 by Giada Belviso (Blood Hunters, Jackpot & Black Cat).
ComicBook: Laura appears to be making a new life for herself with Ms. Marvel and the rest of the cast in NYX, so how does she get this new mission statement that has her defending mutants who can’t defend themselves?
Erica Schultz: Laura has never really felt like she fit in. Despite hanging with Kamala and Sophie, she’s still very much a loner. Also, having been on X-Force, she knows there’s things that need to be done…and that means getting her hands dirty. That’s a little much for some of the NYX kids, so Laura is fine taking these on. It’s not to say that Laura WON’T fit in with the NYX cast, but that she has always had her own side jobs. She IS a Wolverine, after all.
How do you approach coming up with unique villains and threats for Laura? An example readers already experienced was your introduction of the new villain Haymaker in X-23: Deadly Regenesis.
There will be new villains and old ones in this series. The fall of Krakoa fractured mutants both geographically and ideologically. Laura is unique in that she had her training in the Facility, which gives her a certain cynicism. She’ll definitely be surprised at what she finds, though. But it’s not all nihilism, and Laura will learn some new tricks, as well as see that there are still good people out there. I think this book will be true to life in that she’ll have all kinds of experiences that will build on one another and culminate in a new level of her growing up.
In the San Diego Comic Con announcement for Laura Kinney: Wolverine, you mentioned that you want to show all the different sides of Laura. Which side, or personality trait, has been the most fun for you to explore?
Laura is usually angry, and, despite my being able to relate to that, I wanted to show that she has an optimism, too. It’s buried deep, but it’ll be unearthed a few times in this series. She’ll be exposed to other players that will show her that there is still good in the world despite the constant stream of horrors daily. Sounds a little too real, all things considered.
There’s a big X-Men crossover on the horizon in “Raid on Graymalkin.” What are Laura’s thoughts on what’s happening, and whose side of the X-Men civil war will she find herself on?
I can’t give too many details, but suffice it to say, Laura is kind of done with teams right now. Even in NYX, her solo issue (#2) shows her mostly on her own. She’s by no means against a team up, but she’s also wary of how sometimes teammates complicate things. Complications usually end with someone getting hurt…and not everyone can heal from that.
To wrap up, what can you tease about your future plans in Laura Kinney: Wolverine?
There will be some unexpected team ups. Laura is going to learn a lot about herself and how she’s not as alone in this world as she once thought. She’s not the only person in the world who was trained as an assassin at a young age and forced to do things against her will…and maybe she’ll learn that through a team up or two. But you’re going to have to get the book to really find out!